


Surely

by snapspark



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-12 02:50:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11727960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snapspark/pseuds/snapspark
Summary: Dongyoung and Taeyong accidentally eavesdrop on Mark and Donghyuck dealing with a rough question. Pre debut.





	Surely

 

  

Dongyoung doesn’t know why they both wanted to peek in on Mark and Donghyuck’s room that particular evening, but he thinks afterwards that both of them must’ve intuitively gravitated towards what they’d thought was a reliable source of lively comfort.

A misjudgment, Dongyoung concludes, hand parting with the handle of the door. Beside him Taeyong is holding his breath too. They look at each other. _Yikes_ , he mouths. Taeyong nods, and they back up stiffly into their room.

Tonight Lee Donghyuck wasn’t crawling all over the place. He was in his chair combing his wet hair. “Hyung.”

“Hm?”

“What if I can’t debut,” he had said, “would you debut without me?”

There was no answer. Through the crack only Taeyong could see the irritation on Mark’s face, but Dongyoung knew Mark hates hearing this kind of thing. Donghyuck says thing with simple intention. He only asked because he wanted to know the answer. To Mark it’s a synapse firing through his nerves, against his will. An unstoppable shiver, a chain reaction.

 

 

 

To rectify walking in on something he was never supposed to see and hearing something he never needed to hear, Taeyong gathers them for a huddle before practice. Dongyoung doesn't know who he’s doing it for but he can tell it’s not enough.

Only they understand why Mark is so quiet during dance.

Taeyong tells him at break that he almost feels guilty. “Donghyuck sometimes, this kid…”

Taeyong thinks he’s reckless, but he’s Taeyong. Dongyoung would even say it’s brave if things mattered to Donghycuk the way it did to others. Who doesn’t understand? Mark just wants to be allowed to have friends and be with them. Dongyoung watches Donghyuck hand Mark a bottle of water across the room.

“I can’t blame him,” he tells Taeyong. In the end, knowing something and wanting to hear it are different. Taeyong looks up at him to explain but he doesn't notice. Mark’s already walking to the speakers to start the music.

 

 

 

Dongyoung is sitting on the bed, clipping his toenails. At the table before all his spread out products Taeyong sits with his knees to his chest in the small chair, browsing his phone and biting the rough skin on his lips. 

“TY,” he hears.

“Hm?”

He hears the words through Dongyoung’s smile.

“If I can’t debut with NCT, would _you_ debut without me?”

Mid text, Taeyong’s thumb stops. He wants to be mad, but he can’t from the bottom of his heart say he remembers any other thought he’d had in the last hour.

He inhales deeply, through his nose. “You know it’s not possible.”

Deep down Dongyoung has to know, even if it’s not true.

“You know you should think about more useful things than this.”

Dongyoung doesn’t reply to him. He’s done clipping his nails. He’s filing them now quietly and rhythmically. Taeyong starts to hear his own breath and itches to play some music.

Like on cue, he hears a shrieking laughter through the wall from the room next door. Someone is shouting and someone else is laughing, things are thumping against the wall, the floor is shaking as it should. At last their crazy world unpauses. They’re all suffering, Taeyong remembers.

“You’re right. About the first part. I know.” Dongyoung says with a smirk Taeyong can hear.

He looks down at his hands, at Taeyong’s nail clipper in his hands, rolling it from one palm into another.

Dongyoung doesn’t need Taeyong to say it. It’s enough that he knows. Taeyong knows him too, but still Dongyoung thinks Taeyong deserves to hear his own honest thoughts.

“ _I_ would.”

Taeyong closes his eyes.

“But I don't think I would be very happy.”

His back to him, Taeyong doesn’t move from his chair, just lets his breath go and heart calm down a little.

 

“Satisfied?”

 

Finally getting up, Taeyong picks up the sheet of newspaper below Dongyoung’s feet, crumples it up and throws it in the trash. Dongyoung returns his nail clipper, looking up at Taeyong with brows raised and light on his iris like he’s seeing something preciously cute.

Taeyong stares down at him with distaste but he’s smiling. He shoves him down into the blanket. “Go to bed.”

 

 

 


End file.
